Hulu Could Resurrect Community For Sixth Season

Dina Gachman
, ContributorI write about entertainment and the business of television.Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

NBC may have cancelled Community earlier this month, but the show might not be disappearing into syndication just yet. It might be going to Hulu.

Community producers
Sony Pictures Television confirmed that they are in talks with online streaming site Hulu for a possible sixth season of the show, which should pull the show’s devoted fans out of their three-week mourning period. Being in talks does not mean it’s happening, of course, but it does mean there’s a chance that Community will be the cult comedy that keeps on giving.

At the April digital upfronts Hulu announced that it’s angling to become a premiere TV destination for its six million subscribers, and Hulu’s new Head of Content, Craig Erwich said that there would be four times more Hulu Originals than in previous years. SPT’s confirmation that they’re discussing the possibility of new episodes with Hulu indicates that Community could be one of those originals.

In order to compete with
Netflix and Amazon, Hulu needs to up their game when it comes to original content. Community creator Dan Harmon hasn’t ruled out the possibility of #SixSeasonsAndAMovie, and when it was cancelled earlier in May he wrote a blog post about the fate of the show. At first he sounded like he was resigned to the idea of five seasons and no movie, but then had a change of heart. “Sony can do their thing,” he wrote. "I’m not going to be the guy that recancels cancelled Community.”

He also told fans that his enthusiasm alone would not resurrect the show and went on to say, “…there are lots of reasons a Community resurrection could be difficult. So be prepared for that.”

It’s likely that Hulu and SPT are addressing those challenges – production costs and actor salaries being two possible hurdles.

Hulu currently airs past episodes of the series, and it’s in syndication on Comedy Central, but all new episodes would draw the show’s devoted audience to the streaming site if the deal does go through, giving Hulu the buzzy show that it needs to get in the original content game. If it happens, it could signal new hope for TV shows that are prematurely axed. A show like Bad Teacher was cancelled before it had time to find its footing or build an audience. If these types of deals become the norm, it could be a game changer for shows like Community or Arrested Development, which found new life on Netflix - niche shows that might not be ratings juggernauts but that have passionate, devoted fans.

Some shows run their course in four or five seasons and head into syndication gracefully, before they fizzle in front of viewers’ eyes. There’s no way to know what the Hulu version on Community will be if it does actually happen, but there are plenty of fans out there who will log on to find out.

It’s too bad that Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon weren’t in the original content game when NBC cancelled Freaks and Geeks. Fans of that show are left to watch the first and only season multiple times, and wonder what could have been. Maybe fans of Community will luck out get a brand new season – online.